waegwan Loc: Mae Won Li

I'm using PSP 2018 and maybe it is doing things right but these images look strange after applying the perspective correction. Any help on how to make them look better is appreciated. Thanks :-)

#1 SOOC

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#1 with perspective correction and some pp

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#2 SOOC

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#2 with perspective correction and some pp

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mallen1330 Loc: Chicago western suburbs

Strange how? The corrected pics look okay to me as far as the verticals go... There is a point where the vertical convergence angles are more extreme -- say more than 10 degrees or so --- that the correction is also too extreme and looks distorted -- not so in this case.

You have a little bit of barrel distortion that also can be easily corrected in PSP.

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

That's where I have a problem with these. Shot with a wide angle and fairly close, I don't want to see parallel verticals. Looking up at the structure, my mind expects to see converging lines but my eyes say that's not happening. In brief, I would do less PC.
Schroeder's cat anyone?

JGW30033 Loc: Decatur GA

I use Adobe Bridge a lot. I just open the NEF file (I use Nikon) in camera raw. Click the circled icon the top to get the screen on your right. Click "A" (Automatic) and it will correct it. Then use the sliders to fine-tune to your liking. It seems to me to be just a little more realistic than PS.

I shoot real estate for agents and do 3-5 frame HDR and corrections in Bridge and often never open PS. Bridge will lot of batch processing that PS cannot (at least I haven't found it) do.

Gilbert

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mallen1330 Loc: Chicago western suburbs

I have a different experience. My mind expects to see parallel verticals. I have a theory, based on experience, that the sides of that building actually DO NOT converge.

Try this experiment. Sitting in your room, look at the walls, window trim, door frames. Do the vertical edges seem to converge? If you tilt your head up, do they converge even more?

Now do the same with your camera. I'll bet that when you snap a pic with your camera tilted up, the vertical lines converge. And, when you look at the resulting image, your mind cannot compensate the way it does when observing the actual physical environment.

Similarly, when you tilt your head left or right, do things look crooked? Or, do the horizontal lines seem to remain level? However if your camera is not level left to right, the horizon will appear off and sloping in images you take. Horizontal perspective, (converging horizontal lines) in images -- ARE compatible with our mind's interpretation of reality -- as long as the horizon (whether visible or non) is level.

For architectural and real estate photos, we strive for "realistic" results that more closely match our mind's interpretation of the scene. For other photographic genres, converging verticals and crooked horizons may be appropriate and contribute to the composition and dramatic effect.

And, as I stated in a previous post here, converging verticals in architectural photos are sometimes okay. The OP's SOOC #1 is a good example. For me, the converging verticals are okay, even good, for that subject, except for the light pole on the left side that triggers my feeling of "unreality". Crop out or clone out the light pole, and I'm fine with that image.

As Schrödinger will affirm, perspective lines both converge and they don't.

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

Yes, Schrodinger, that's what I said.

waegwan Loc: Mae Won Li

Lots of helpful input so far, thanks. I want to discuss your recommendations deeper but that will be tomorrow or the next day. I'm working off of my phone for a while and I really don't like typing on it. Thanks again :-)

David in Dallas Loc: Dallas, Texas, USA

I have often had the same experience when correction vertical perspective. I believe the issue is that some buildings have upper constructs that are forward of the plane that is being corrected, and when the correction is made the view of the underside of those projections appear unnatural--that if you were at a point where the verticals actually appeared parallel to you, you would not be able to see those undersides that way. I do not know how to avoid that problem--when it happens, I just don't correct the perspective all the way.

Another problem I've noticed is that when such corrections are made, the upper part of the structure appears to have been elongated unnaturally. This is particularly true in the corrections applied by Lightroom. The tool in Paint Shop Pro that just allows for widening a series of points that should be in a rectangle (but appear as a trapezoid) does not seem to suffer from that effect as much--unfortunately, LR does not have that tool (or if it does, I've not found it).

ole sarg Loc: south florida

Whenever I encounter quantum physics I think of Feynman: I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics..

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

To my eye the #1 SOOC image is slightly tilted top toward right. This would make perspective correction a tad more difficult. Try first making a line along what should be vertical and using that to rotate. Then do the perspective. Do the results compare how. Verticals convergence is a consequence of spherical optics; some elderly architectural cameras had tiltable backs and I think you had to start out verticle. Old time experts, chime in here.

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

I find the small bit of barrels distortion more distracting than the issue of parallel verticals. Perhaps if the crop wasn't so close to the verticals it would not be so obvious.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

With the possible exception of the first one, all of the images feel too tight to me. I would feel more comfortable if you had left more space around the building in the first place .... but, of course, that is not something you can "fix" at this point.

waegwan Loc: Mae Won Li

I agree. I didn't have time to really stop and organize and frame the shots. I was with a tour group and this building was not on the tour and we were just waling by. The pipes with the copper colored tops are real pipe organ pipes and they were playing music when we walked by. I thought it was pretty cool. I also didn't realize how much the perceptive correction cropped on the sides. Thanks for your input.

waegwan Loc: Mae Won Li

Thanks, I never looked at barrel distortion before. I've started working it now and it really makes a difference. I'm still having trouble with the perspective correction. I'll post more in day or two when I have something worth discussion.

waegwan Loc: Mae Won Li

I'm working on that, never worked with it before. Thanks :-)